Chapter 1

Ethan's POV

My words, neither harsh nor gentle, shattered the silence in the office.

Tracy Montgomery was still basking in the joy of her pregnancy with her lover's child when she looked up and frowned. "What contract? Ethan, are you trying to start something again?"

She had clearly forgotten. The moment that realization hit me, my fingers slowly tightened around the edge of the desk. Even breathing hurt.

"I'm not starting anything," I said. "But you're right. I won't have a say in your life anymore. Whether you come back to this family or not doesn't matter to me."

As soon as I finished speaking, Tracy rubbed her temples. She spread her hands and leaned back in her chair, impatience written all over her face.

"This is literally how our circle works. Keeping a lover on the side is the norm. I don't see Ms. Lawson or Ms. Stone's husbands acting as jealous and petty as you do.

"It's not like I needed your money to support myself, anyway. If you had even a fraction of Max's sensibility, you wouldn't be acting so petulant."

I had heard those words more than a thousand times over the past five years.

Five years ago, Tracy had pursued me so openly that everyone in town knew about it. Because of my mother's illness, I turned her down again and again.

Then, when Mom was on her deathbed, Tracy offered me 700 thousand dollars in exchange for signing a prenuptial agreement. The first supply of a life-saving specialty drug on the market went straight to Mom.

Even so, less than a year after Tracy and I got married, Mom passed away. Then, Tracy cheated on me with Max. I caught them in our own home.

The wedding decorations hadn't even been fully taken down. There were fresh handprints smeared across our wedding photo, along with countless other traces they hadn't bothered to hide.

That day, I smashed everything in the house that could be smashed. She thought I was boring and immature. After all the fighting, all I got from her was a stab to the heart.

"Know your place, Ethan. Don't forget who saved your mother's life," she had said.

I let out a sigh. Just as I opened my mouth to explain myself, my office door was pushed open. My son, Harry Lowe, came running in, holding Max Lockwood's hand.

"Mommy!" he exclaimed. When he saw me, the excitement on his face faded. "Oh. Daddy's here, too."

I reached out, wanting to pat his head, but he avoided my touch with obvious disdain. My hand froze in midair before I slowly pulled it back.

"Hey, Tracy. How did the checkup go?" Max asked, gently resting a hand over Tracy's belly.

A smile bloomed across her face, easing the irritation I had caused her earlier. "Good. The baby's healthy."

I said nothing, my gaze fixed on her face. Now that I thought about it, she had never smiled at me like that during all these years of our marriage.

Ironically, she had been the one who relentlessly pursued me, only to cast me aside as though she had never loved me.

"Dr. Lowe, you're Tracy's OB-GYN, huh? What a coincidence. That instantly puts my mind at ease," Max said.

He finally noticed me standing there. A knowing smile tugged at his lips. When he spoke, he hooked a finger around Tracy's hand, making one intimate gesture after another.

Harry cheered, "Mommy and Mr. Lockwood are having a baby? Does that mean I'm finally getting a little sister?"

Max pinched Harry's cheek affectionately. "Well, it could be a little brother, too."

The scene before me was so painfully bright that it seared my eyes. I quickly looked away.

Ever since Max came into our lives, my relationship with Harry had soured. I had asked him why, but he had only looked at me with disgust.

"All my friends have more than one daddy. What's wrong with me having another one? Besides, Mr. Lockwood buys me everything I want. All you ever do is nag me and scold me. You're so annoying!"

I took a deep breath and forced myself back to the present.

By then, Tracy had already moved past our unpleasant conversation earlier. Before leaving, she even spoke to me in a cheerful tone. "Come home early."

Then, the door closed behind them.

I stared at the black-and-white photo of Mom sitting on my desk. Tears welled up, blurring my vision. Little did I know, I had lost my last chance at a real family five years ago.